A 15-year-old boy taken into custody in Chattanooga may have clues to the shooting deaths of another 15-year-old boy and his 11-year-old sister, the Clayton County police chief said Tuesday afternoon.
The boy in custody, whose name was not released, has not been named a suspect, Chief Michael Register said at a press conference. But investigators believe he may have information on those responsible, believed to be gang members. And he may have been the intended target.
Daveon and Tatiyana Coates were sleeping in separate rooms in their Libby Lane home when they were killed early Saturday. Four younger children were also in the home but were not harmed, and one was able to call 911. No adults were in the house at the time of the home invasion.
Daveon and Tatiyana were innocent victims, Register has said. Register said he spoke with the children’s mother Tuesday morning.
“I assured her we are doing everything we can possibly do to bring these cowards to justice,” Register said.
Investigators believe the siblings’ mother allowed another family to move in, and that family’s 15-year-old son committed an act against gang members. The shootings are believed to be retaliation, according to police. The gang members responsible for killing the children have been linked to a shooting incident Sunday in Chattanooga.
Clayton County officers and the FBI are in Chattanooga assisting with the investigation. Register urged anyone with information on the case to call police or 911.
“It disturbs me to my very core,” Register said. “As a father, I have three sons, it terrifies me. As a citizen makes me mad…It is just devastating to the community, the family and everyone involved.”
Daveon was in the 10th grade at Mundy's Mill High School, and Tatiyana was a sixth-grader at Pointe South Middle School. A Go Fund Me fundraising page was created to assist the family with funeral costs.
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